


Four Weeks (and Eight Dates) to Fall in Love

by hexburn (thestormapproaches)



Category: League of Legends RPF
Genre: Beaches, Cooking, Domestic Fluff, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gyms, Hiking, M/M, Pining, Soft Boys, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, cute dates, two buff junglers in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23161738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestormapproaches/pseuds/hexburn
Summary: Mads is new to NA, but certainly not to Lucas. They reunite time and time again. Sometimes it makes Mads wonder if they could be something more.
Relationships: Mads "Broxah" Brock-Pedersen/Lucas "Santorin" Tao Kilmer Larsen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Four Weeks (and Eight Dates) to Fall in Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kandiszucker (whatwhy)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatwhy/gifts).



> for Kandiszucker who 1000000% deserves the best of everything  
> broxah/santorin are so pure, so wholesome

1.

“I can’t believe they left you all alone,” Lucas mutters angrily into his smoothie straw, quietly sipping while tossing birdseed to a cluster of sparrows. Mads just giggles and watches the birds chirp and chitter to each other.

“It’s Valentine’s Day. They have other commitments…”

“And you just arrived!” He huffs, blue eyes glittering. They’re sitting on a park bench, Mads fresh off a plane and Lucas eager to meet up with one of his best friends, and again Mads’s laugh rings out like bells.

“Yeah… Oh well. This-” Briefly, Mads hesitates. “This is better,” he murmurs. “This is pretty good, too.”

Lucas smiles at him with a pink-striped paper straw between his lips. Mads smiles back. The taste of their strawberry-banana smoothies melds into the red-orange-yellow sunset over the sea. Their hands don’t touch, not even their thighs, not with the pouch of birdseed between them on the bench, or at least not yet. Both are careful to keep their eyes on the birds in front of them. And then Mads feels a soft brush against his hand - the pouch, held by both junglers, now.

A small sparrow hops towards Mads’s feet, and he grants it a sunflower seed.

2.

“Long time no see,” Mads teases at the sight of his good friend in front of their gym only a few days after they had last met on the waterfront. Lucas pushes his shoulder but laughs at the joke regardless.

“Yes, it’s been quite a while,” he says sarcastically. Mads practically beams at him.

Lucas laughs again and grins right back.

It’s rainy, so they had to change their plans from a beachy run to an indoor one, but really the swap isn’t so bad, after all. Smiling as they go, Lucas leads Mads through his first experience at an American gym. Admittedly, it’s not all that different from one in Berlin, though he’s pleasantly surprised by the view of the rain through the tall windows. “Here’s my locker,” Lucas chimes in, calling Mads back to attention. “You can put your things in the one next to mine.”

Mads answers with a smile and stores away his wallet and key and street-shoes, then knots up the laces of his gym-shoes and follows Lucas to the treadmills.

When they’re done, they shower and change, then leave. “See you soon?” Lucas asks, now wearing a sprout-green shirt.

Mads grins. “Yes, of course.”

3.

“Hey, Mads,” Lucas says with a grin in the soft light of the restaurant. They’ve both dressed up slightly for this, since the restaurant is a bit fancy, and Lucas has a beautiful, grey collared shirt on with plants patterned over it - not yet flowering, all stems and tiny leaves.

“Hey, Lucas,” Mads answers, sitting down in a burgundy dress shirt and dark slacks. They get into a quiet conversation about Mads’s first week in Los Angeles and its ups and downs until their waitress comes to take their orders. Then they discuss the meta at large, munching on mediocre bread and good pasta.

They’ve finished and are just about ready to go their separate ways when Lucas grabs the cuff of Mads’s shirt. “I want to show you something,” he says, before dragging Mads down the street to a park.

In the midst of a tall grove of trees is a bench. The two of them sit. 

“This place has the best view of the stars in LA,” Lucas proudly proclaims, his eyes flitting around to each pinprick of light above.

“Beautiful,” Mads murmurs. He then turns his eyes skyward, trying to ignore Lucas’s hand still on his sleeve.

4.

Mads doesn’t know why he agreed to a hike. Perhaps it was Lucas’s twinkling blue eyes? Whatever the reason, here Mads stands, a bottle of water in his hand as he stares down the sunshiny path, waiting for Lucas to arrive-

“Mads! Sorry I’m late.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Mads says with a smile. “Ready?”

“Let’s go!”

They hike through the trees, watching birds and squirrels scuttle by occasionally, peacefully chattering about whatever comes to mind on their way to the top. Once they get there, they gaze out over the landscape, eyes cast to the horizon. There’s a small bench placed viewing the wider world. As a break, they take a seat next to each other. 

This time, ever so slightly, their thighs touch and hands brush.

It’s so peaceful, sitting there, with Lucas right beside him. Mads hums softly as the breeze ruffles his hair. In return, Lucas hums too. More minutes pass by, though no one is counting.

A gentle brush against his cheek after an apparent eternity of sunshine rouses Mads to attention. 

Lucas’s eyes are closed, his head on Mads’s shoulder, quietly snoring.

Mads smiles at a growing plant in front of him, not yet budding.

5.

“Mads, Mads!” Lucas chirps, running down the beach in bare feet, holding his shoes with the socks neatly tucked inside in one hand and waving wildly with the other as his drawstring bag bounces on his shoulders. “Hi!”

“Hey, you,” Mads giggles. “Eager?”

“Of course! It’s your first time swimming in the ocean!”

“Didn’t you tell me we were just walking on the beach?” But Mads smiles even at the surprise - how could he not, when Lucas looks so excited?

“And aren’t you wearing swim shorts?” Lucas retorts, grinning.

“Not a swim shirt, though,” Mads answers, pointing to his TL jersey that surely wouldn’t fare well in saltwater.

Lucas just shrugs. “Eh, you can just take it off - I can put it in my bag, and I brought sunscreen just in case.” Mads also shrugs and, after a second of shy hesitation, takes his shirt off and folds it neatly, then stuffs it into Lucas’s bag while Lucas takes out a tube of sunscreen. “Do you want help putting some on?”

“Sure,” Mads says. “Don’t you need to take off your shirt and put sunscreen on, too?” he asks, blushing pink after Lucas has finished rubbing it on his shoulders.

“This shirt blocks UV rays,” Lucas teases with a smug grin. “I came prepared.”

“Kind of hard to be prepared when the planner doesn’t tell you what you need,” retorts Mads, still chuckling. Lucas boops his nose, applying a final bit of sunscreen, then laughs alongside Mads.

Having taken all major precautions, they’re off into the surf between their fingertips and the sand between their toes. Water suddenly splashes Mads’s face but it’s no surprise - he’s already halfway through his own motion, slinging water back at Lucas. They could frolic like this for hours.

Once both boys are thoroughly soaked, they take their towels, which Lucas had thankfully left high on the beach, and grab strawberry-banana smoothies again, to accompany them on a walk over the paved path through sandy shores and neatly-arranged palm trees and flowers just beginning to bud. As their feet wander, so does their conversation - from jungling to mutual friends to gym to what they’ll do next together - and so do their eyes.

Mads still hasn’t put his shirt back on, yet despite his typical shyness, no gaze on his muscular body makes Mads feel quite so flustered as Lucas’s. 

He wonders if that means anything.

6.

Lucas seems just as energetic as ever when Mads meets him in front of their gym again. He waves and grins and this time, instead of going to the treadmills or the indoor track, Lucas lets Mads lead him to the weights. “I need someone to watch out for me,” Mads says, ignoring any meaning of his words beyond the time they have right now.

Kindly, Lucas agrees, and as Mads does some heavy lifting, Lucas hovers his hands close by, ready to help in case of an emergency that likely won’t come. Once Mads is done with his reps, Lucas takes his turn, with Mads standing next to him.

“Thanks for helping me,” Mads murmurs as they leave the gym. He has a thin jacket on today, as does Lucas; the breeze is a bit strong though certainly not cold. 

“You’re welcome,” Lucas smiles. “Hey, do you have time for drinks? Maybe coffee or tea?”

“Coffee sounds good,” Mads answers with an equal grin. He and Lucas begin to walk towards the cafe they visit so often for sweet treats and drinks, admiring the blustery spring scenery as they go. The palm trees mean Mads certainly can’t forget he’s in California now, but the temperature is rather like Denmark in later spring months. It feels good.

Somewhere along the way, Lucas starts to walk closer to Mads, even if the walkway around them is clear of other pedestrians. Of course, Mads doesn’t mind at all. The soft touch against his sleeve is a little more surprising, but Mads still does not pull away. Why would he ever want to?

Just a few blocks from the cafe, Mads feels a gentle hand brush his own. Again, he doesn’t flinch, despite the nearly overwhelming tingles that run through his hand at Lucas’s touch - right now, Lucas is only holding his sleeve cuff anyway. It’s a big deal to Mads, but they’ve done this before, so maybe it’s not a big deal to Lucas.

Then, Lucas slips his thumb through the thumb-hole on Mads’s sleeve, anchoring himself to Mads. The only more intimate gesture could be holding hands.

“I-is this okay?” Lucas stutters, pointedly staring at the ground as they walk, though Mads can’t take his eyes off Lucas.

He giggles with the giddiness of young love. “Yes, it’s okay. It’s, um, it’s very okay.”

When their eyes meet again, both blush.

7.

Awkwardly, Mads stands before the door of Flyquest’s gaming house in a sunny LA suburb. He’s not sure if he should knock or just text Lucas that he’s here, but it doesn’t matter - before he can get his phone out, the door flies open. “Hi!”

“Hello there,” Mads chuckles.

Lucas grins at him, then snags his sleeve and pulls him through the house into the kitchen, where Mads drops off the bottle of white wine he’d brought for their dinner on the countertop. Lucas already has a package of fresh shrimp on the counter ready to cook and a box of linguine. "Help me chop green onions and basil?" he asks.

"Of course," Mads agrees, putting what feeble kitchen skills he has to good use. 

Cooking with his sweetheart - though Mads blushes even thinking about it that way - feels so beautifully domestic. While he prepares ingredients, Lucas boils salted water for the linguine and heats up oil in a pan. They work together like two halves of a whole, Mads navigating around Lucas who stands at the stovetop cooking the shrimp and pasta. “Hand me the pepper grinder?” he asks, holding out a hand as he stirs the shrimp. Mads looks for the pepper, which just happens to be on the other side of Lucas from where Mads is neatly putting the basil into a bowl. Along the way as he reaches, his arm brushes along Lucas’s back, and for a split second their bodies are pressed against each other.

“Here you go.” He hands Lucas the pepper grinder, still with his arm reaching around Lucas’s shoulders, and Lucas grins winningly at him, so brightly that Mads’s heart seems to stop momentarily, as though Lucas’s beauty stunned it, too.

Lucas must have noticed Mads’s blush - he stops what he’s doing for a second to playfully nudge Mads. “Thank you,” he murmurs, resting his head against Mads’s shoulder for a split second. “ ‘s almost done - can you grab the plates?” 

“Yep,” Mads says, already setting the table. He pours two glasses of wine alongside their plates, then smiles at Lucas while Lucas serves them the shrimp scampi.

Embarrassingly enough, Wildturtle pokes his head in at one point and, upon seeing them together, fetches a candle and a vase full of opening rosebuds. It makes both boys blush red, but as Mads gazes at Lucas over the flickering candlelight, he’s immensely grateful.

8.

Instead of meeting there, at the foothills, like they had for their hike before, this time Lucas picks Mads up from the TL house - much to Peter and Core’s amusements. “Have fun on your date!” Peter cheers from the window while Mads and Lucas walk away. Mads turns red, as does Lucas.

Their hike is full of wildflowers in bloom; purple, orange, white, blue and red splashes of colour littering their path. It’s beautiful, and yet Mads somehow finds his eyes drawn to Lucas no matter what. Even though he doesn’t know what the names of the birds or squirrels or flowers are, Lucas calls them by their colour and size, and Mads always looks to wherever he points next. It’s a fun game, to see who can spot the most amazing sight. Lucas tends to win, not that Mads minds.

Along the way, Mads and Lucas trade little stories from soloQ - just small-talk, but somehow made meaningful by each other’s presence. The stories could be as uneventful as a streamer inting or incredible as a baron steal and yet each one is incredibly precious to Mads, who does his best to memorise each tale. He almost feels disappointed when they reach the summit and sit down on the same old bench again.

And then he sees the setting sun and how its vibrant orange rays illuminate each blonde strand of Lucas’s hair and his smile and the laugh in his eyes, and Mads wonders how he could have been so mistaken.

The two junglers sit for a while in the small clearing with its bare bench. The sunlight warms them. Once the birds adjust to their presence, soft chirping surrounds them. 

Mads wonders if this fantasy world might grant him another wish.

Their hands are against each other, with their pinkies intertwined - a recent development thanks to Lucas’s boldness, and certainly none of Mads’s. They lean against each other, enjoying each other’s company. But Mads…

He finally thinks he has the courage to push a little farther.

Carefully, cautiously, Mads frees his hand from Lucas’s, mumbling an apology to Lucas when he startles and turns to Mads.

Then, Mads puts his arm around Lucas’s shoulders and hugs him gently, kissing his cheek with the most chaste of touches.

He immediately blushes redder than the half-set sun.

And as for Lucas?

He giddily giggles and grins, and kisses Mads back.

**Author's Note:**

> 😁 let me know what you think of the cute buff junglers!


End file.
